WAAA to host MLK program Continued from Daae A1
throughout the years is to try and
present him in totality."
Another focus of the program
will be to make aware the fact that
Dr. King came to Winston-Salem in
1962, and spoke at Goler
Metropolitan AME Zion Church.
Evans said that the program will
help determine the impact of King's
visit on the city, and those who
were able to hear him speak. She
stated that by just coming to Win
ston-Salem, King made a signifi
cant contribution to the community
since he did not visit every city that
would have liked for him to come.
The program will also deal
with the issue of voting, since this
year is an election year. And Evans
said that people will be reminded
"of their civic responsibilities as
they felate to becoming registered
? voting, volunteering in cam
paigns, working for causes they
believe in, and for that matter, run
mng as a candidate." ~ ?
"So it's both a learning situa
tion, a reminding situation, and it's
also about searching one s own con- *
scious and making a commitment to
what, individually, you can do to
make equality better for all," she
added.
At least 1000 peoplc^pre
expected to attend the program,
which has always been able to draw
a large crowd. And Evans said that
the program will appeal to every
one, young and old.
"The program that we do, we
really think it has mass appeal. Our
approach is that it's not done on a
level that's so high that young peo
ple can not hear and learn some
thing from the message, instead of
share," said Evans. "Nor is it done
in such an elementary way that
adults cannot appreciate the mes
sage too."
The 12th Annual Noon Hour
Commemoration will be free and
W, .
open to the public.
D._Smith resumes position Continued from page A1
welcome tfte slat! and assure them
; that it's a new year, and we will
; work together to get the job done."
; In recent months, the stuff SUg
; gested than the new CEO meet with
; each of the personnel one-on-one to
; explore individual talents and
; resources. Smith says she will fol
; low through A^ith that idea.
There arethose who question
; the Board's actions, particularly the
national job search which resulted
in Smith reclaiming her former title.
Smith defends the Board s deci
gpnag explaining mat moving lau
tiously to make the right decision
takes time.
"The new Board can honestly
say that whatever this process was
we went through, they did it com
pletely, and their decision is not to
be questioned."
Smith was fired by the former
Board after she suggested they
adhere to rotation policies out
lined b7~Ttur~Naiional Urban
League. Subsequently, an all new
Board was formed and voted
unanimously to reinstate Smith
earlier this year. However, the
national group required the Win
ston-Salem Urban League to con
duct a job search to fill the posi
tion of president and chief execu
tive officer.
During the coming months.
Smith will lead die uigaiiUatiun lir
developing goals and objectives for
1992 and the next few years. Gre
gory Bradsher, who has served as
acting CEO for the past year, is
expected to resume his former title
of vice president of finance and
operations.
Ask Us! Residents tell city con,?*. ?aqe A,
. lems.
Taking command of the podi
um like a true preacher, Rev. Lee
Faye Mack drew cheers from the
crowd that filled nearly every seat
in the alderman chambers.
"We know what it is to hurt, to
be out of the necessities of life.
Unless you involve us, you won't
have a good plan. I'm sorry, but it
looks like you're gonna have to tear
up that package somewhat."
Rev. Mack mentioned her work
at the Back to Life Center on 19th
Street, noting that "the alderman for
that area is not even here tpnight"
Vivian Burke represents the north
east ward.
D.D. Adams, who lives in the
north ward, was also applauded for
her remarks. "You're saying we
have a lot of vacant housing in
Winston-Salem. But if you travel to
East Winston, youll see all of the
vacant housing is boarded up." She
also told the panel of officials they
should write the housing plan "^o
the lay people can understand it"
Alderman Nelson Malloy, who
represents the north ward, attended
r the meeting. Other aldermen pre
sent were Larry Womble and Vir
ginia Newell, who sat beside Mayor
Martha Wood.
Assistant County Manager
;? Kevin F i tzGerald spoke briefly
: about family-based delivery of ser
. vices and the Opportunities for
Families (OFF) project
Nineteen individuals took the
. microphone, including representa
' tives from the Experiment in Self
Reliance, Affordable Housing
; Coalition, Council on Services..to
the Homeless, AIDS Care Services,
and Kimberly Park Resident's
Council. Without exception, they
stated a desire to be involved in the
planning process, and several stated
that they had tried repeatedly tKbe
included. ,
The plan is called CHAS
(Comprehensive Housing Afford
ability Strategy) and is necessaryTT
Winston-Salem is to compete for
federal funding from HUD. During
the 45-minute formal presentation,
city housing officials acknowledged
that the parts of the plan were based
on sketchy data from the 1990 cen
sus, and woul*M>e revised as more
complete information was available.
But a spokesperson for the home
less maintained that much of" the
information the- city needs is
already available from grass-roots
organizations that serve those with
housing problems. ***
Chuck Snyder, who Sj>oke on
behalf of Homeless But Not Help
less, challenged the city to shut
down the homeless shelters and put
homeless people in the 5,000 units
that are^mrrently vacant. Snyder
presented the panel with a four
page list of questions, concerns and
specific suggestions regarding the
CHAS.
Both Snyder and Kay Vives
demanded that the CHAS study the
need for energy-efficient housing,
noting that many low-income resi
dents live in buildings with no insu
lation, storm windows or other
weatherization.
"This is about people who have
names, who have needs and desires,
people who are living and dying on
the street," said Snyder.
Monica Lett, director of Neigh
borhood Housing Development;
says that during a four-month peri
od last year, many groups were
invited to and attended one of a
series of housing services delivery
meetings, including the Council on
, Services to the Homefoss, Experi
ment on Self-Reliance, Habitat for
Humanity, Housing Authority, East
Winston Community Development
Corporation, Board of Realtors,
Hortie Builders Association, Urban
League, and the Housing Founda
tion. She said that five weeks ago
they sent 150 copies of the CHAS
to social services agencies, housing
agencies, and neighborhood groups
as well as making several attempts
to coordinate meetings with them.
Joseph Sauser, city housing
planner, said, "It was good, well
stated, well-thought out criticism.
This CHAS is an interim plan until
more census data is available next
year. It is not carved in stone. We
will hire a consultant to gather com
plete data on local housing needs,
and they will place strong emphasis
on working wrth tlre community
and advocates for the poor aiftl
homeless."
Sauser noted that many of the
boarded-up buildings in East Win
ston have been condemned by the
city and are awaiting rehabilitation
by the East Winston Community
Development Corporation.. "The
City provides loan financing for
rehabilitation and helps steer the
CDC through the credit approval
process required by the state."
Sauser says this year the city
will be able to generate 36 units of
substantially rehabilitated units of
affordable housing.
Alderman Larry Womble invit
ed the public to comment on CHAS
and housing problems at the alder
man's review committee meeting
Tuesday at 4:30.
Solution to ignorance
Continued from page A1
< Drive Inn.
Rooster Brown is black, 55
? years of age, and works for a local
manufacturing company. He
? describes himself as being an
? arched conservative. Always been
' that way. He laughs about being far
, ' ther right than most all black folks
- and most white folks. He believes
' that the conservative message is the
' only sure way that black folks will
ever achieve true equality.
But politics aside, here is what
^ makes Rooster Brown and hence,
' ' his solution to the problem of
American competitiveness unique.
Rooster believes that we as a
1 nation should declare war on cultur
? al and social ignorance.
"It is time that we as an Ameri
. can society declare that every
American should be tested on the
fundamentals of living in this world
; society."
whus, Rooster Brown takes and
passes the GED exam once every
v three years just to make sure that he
is still sharp.
Rooster believes that America
should devise a Citizens Competen
cy Test, much like the GED exam,
which must betaken by all able
bodied Americans and passed every
three years.
According to Rooster, it would
be no different than being tested for
a drivers license, or going to have
your eyes and ears checked. Except,
this test would help each citizen to
stay abreast of a minimum amount
Of mathematics, history, literature,
art and music. r
Each person would knoto how
to write and communicate on a min
imum competency level Each per
son, no matter how old ? except ?
after a certain age which he says
could be 65 ? would be expected
to keep a certain edge on the infor
mation curve. It would be their con
tribution toward ridding the United
States of so much of its wasted
mental ability.
According to Brown, "It would
be the least that each of us as citi
zens could do for this country."
I asked him how would we go
about preparing such an exam in
view of the massive changes that
our society undergoes each year.
He explained that it would be a
simple matter for the government to
run a state sponsored television
channel that would do nothing but
teach information that would appear
on the next exam. This channel
would be available 24 hours a day.
Part of the information would, of
schools as general component of the
national educational curriculum.
Everyone would have equal access
to the basics.
The advantage of this program,
as Rooster sees it, is that "older
adults would not only have the ben
efit of having and maintaining the
basic skills needed for cultural,
civic, and social survival, but would
also have the added advantage of
being experienced in worldly
affairs. Thus, younger people would
begin to view older people with a
new sense of respect and dignity.
"They wouldn't dare to talk back so
much because they would know that
older people are in just as good as
mental shape as they are."
As to what would happen if
you did not pass your competency
test, Rooster answers, "The same
thing that happens to you when you
fail the driving test. You don't get to
keep the best jobs in America. No
matter how mental. Yes, even the
sanitation engineer and domestic
engineer would be required to pass
the test."
Rooster concedes that provi
sions could be made where employ
ers could simply give preference to
those who have passed the test as
opposed to those whose "license"
would have expired.
As far as Rooster is concerned,
the benefits of this national testing
effort would be immense, if for
nothing more than a collective and
immediate sense by the entire
nation, and in fact, the rest of the
world that "them" people in the
United States are serious about get
ting rid of ignorance.
"They are so serious that they
will make you work on being edu
cated all of your life ? not just at
the beginning."
After meeting with Rooster,
and thinking about his ideas, I just
couldn't help but think that maybe
Rooster doesn't really trust the
young folks in this country.
Maybe he's worried that his
social security might not be there
because young people in this coun
try are just too darned lazy to even
want to work hard. What an inter
esting man. What an interesting per
spective. e
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Phone 723-2938
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